1. Area of the Art
The present invention relates to amino acid chelates and methods of supplying animals with desired nutrients. Particularly, the present invention relates to the use of metal amino acid chelates to facilitate and promote the growth of animals. Expressly incorporated herein by reference is applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,055, for METAL AMINO ACID CHELATE, which issued on Apr. 2, 1996.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Stable amino acid chelates are capable of imparting nutritional benefits to living systems. Owing to more expedient and efficient assimilation, chelated forms of metals have become known to create desired levels of certain metals in living systems including, for example, plants. Others have developed processes for chelating which have attempted to react metal salts with amino acids, and resulting products have had solubility, pH and stability constraints.
It has thus become generally accepted that the chelated forms of these metals with amino acids are demonstrably better assimilated by plants, animals, and human beings than metal salts, the plant, animal and human tissues showing increased metal content when exposed to metal amino acid chelates. Prior art metal amino acid chelates are formed by reacting metal salts with amino acids. For example, metal salts, such as salts of iron, zinc, copper, magnesium, cobalt or calcium, when reacted with an amino acid, for example glycine, would form ferrous glycinate, zinc glycinate, copper glycinate, magnesium glycinate, cobalt glycinate, cobalt glycinate, or calcium glycinate, respectively.
Likewise, the metal amino acid chelates made according to the prior art processes result in products that are insoluble or unstable in water, particularly at a low pH or a pH above 7 As fully discussed in applicant's aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,055, which has been expressly incorporated herein by reference, the chelation process shown in certain prior art references required heating under nitrogen (For example, per U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,877,253 and 2,957,806). Other prior art techniques produced chelates which were unstable or precipitated at a pH above 8 (U. S. Pat. Nos. 4,216,143 and 4,216,144).
Additionally, these prior art chelates have been known to precipitate out of solution when other chemical compounds, such as phosphates, are added to the chelate solution.
Prior art chelates also show stability problems over a period of time, the compounds precipitating after two or three days (U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,144). U.S. Pat. No. 3,396,104 shows formation of insoluble metal proteinates using saline water.
Likewise, there exists a longstanding desire to promoting animal growth, and various attempts to accomplish the same have employed elaborate and circumlocuted means. It has now been discovered that enhanced metal amino acid chelates incorporating features of the invention promotes growth in animals.
The present inventor has overcome significant aspects of both of these problems by developing, and patenting a material capable of delivering high levels of desired metal ions to agricultural products. Other attempts to address the clear need for supplying animals with selected compounds over time have taken different and convoluted paths, from subcutaneous implants to complex salts having cations being made from complexes including iron and methionine. However, nothing among the prior art has adequately addressed increasing desired metal uptake by the animal, and concomitant growth facilitation and enhancement for the treated animals.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,750; which issued Nov. 16, 1976 to Vickery, and is assigned to SYNTEX CORPORATION, disclosed implantation of dromostanolone propionate subcutaneously to produce weight gain, inter alia. Without precisely elucidating the mechanism, the disclosure suggests that bioavailability of iron and methionine is effective for this purpose. Likewise, according to the process of the present invention, use of metal amino acid chelates demonstrably enhanced piglets, and juvenile chickens. However, no need for radical or surgical invasion is present in accordance with the instant teachings.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,067,994; which issued Jan. 10, 1976 to Anderson et al., and is assigned to ZINPRO CORP., likewise pointed to the use of novel complexers as food additive for enhancing growth. However, as mentioned above, and discussed in detail below, the use of salts for nutritional supplementation substantially constrains the utility of the involved compounds in terms of solubility, stability and pH. Further, problems with precipitating out of solution and the like degrading mechanisms abound when using salts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,326,523; which issued Apr. 27, 1982 to Wolfrom et al., and is assigned to INTERNATIONAL MINERAL & CHEMICAL CORP., also disclosed an implanted means for administering compounds including metals, over time to animals. In contradistinction to the instant teachings, this elaborate means for introduction likewise adds difficulty and militates strongly for the need for applicant' novel method for enhancing and facilitating the growth of livestock.